7 Simple Secrets to Tying up the Loose Ends for the Year

1. Ask yourself, what does eating / drinking this give me?

Food as medicine food as fuel. What are we feeding our body and mind? Let’s take a Christmas food say pudding or sweets as an example. What do I love about eating this food? Reminds me of good times, it’s delicious, it gives me satisfaction, happiness, naughtiness etc I write 10 benefits of this. Then I write 10 non benefits. I feel guilty, I feel sick, I feel embarrassed to be eating it, it is loads of calories, and onwards. You will find that they weigh each other out so it all comes back to balance. I then think – what else gives me the same benefits? What else could I do instead of this addiction to foods that damage me? Playing hide and seek- that gives me naughtiness, satisfaction, happiness. Get what I mean?

The trick is not to deny myself indulgence as long as I am counter balancing it with exercise. So, I choose one small dessert. Yes one! If it’s a chocolate rum ball, I eat one and only one. If its pudding with custard and cream, which I love… I have a TINY piece and a tiny custard and cream -not a bowl –full. Which leads me to my second secret….

2. Size Matters!

Plate size that is. Entrée plates and small bowls are best. When you eat, fill the plate up with salad and veggies first so there is less room for meats, rice’s, pastas, potatoes etc. Eat mainly raw. Raw food takes longer to eat and you have to chew a lot more. It also fills you up too. Think of what you can eat raw, veggies, salads, a little fruit. Fermented foods are great. Think Sauerkraut, Kefir, Kombucha.

Eat from glass not plastic, select food with care. Avoid processed foods where possible and think – does this have the highest nutrition I can get? Organic, happy animals and plants, pesticide free.

Take responsibility for your food choices, habits, be aware and make the best choice for you. Listen to your body. Why are you hungry? Are you bored or do you feel hunger in your mouth, you hunger for the taste of something? Eat slowly and enjoy every bite/sip

3. Secret Sugars

Be careful of juices! If you are juicing for one of your meals- make it a good one. I like spinach, celery, tomato, carrot, and beetroot- especially if I am feeling a little seedy from the day before. Sometimes a little basil. A sweet juice I like is spinach, lemon, ginger, pineapple or apple. A great berry one is mixed berries, coconut water, cucumber, mint if desired, filtered water of course J I like to put filtered water in all my juices to ensure I don’t overload the fruit. I also add my powdered supplements to these as well as long as the flavours are similar – I’m a busy lady I need to make best use of my time

Trick is: Keep it simple! They taste great frozen as ice cubes for hot weather or icy poles too. You can use organic teas to make iced teas too. If you are drinking alcohol enjoy it – have good quality wine or spirits be careful with the mixers –indulge not over indulge 

4. Move it or lose it

Sadly in todays knowledgeable society, only 18% of adults meet the daily requirements of physical activity. As stated by the World Health Organisation, lack of physical activity is responsible for approximately 2 million deaths annually and according to the World heart federation; inactivity is equally as bad for you as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

It is evident that exercise is essential. Not only because it helps you prevent or control a whole range of health concerns, but also because it helps manage stress levels. This is because it stimulates the release of a chemical known as endorphin, the body’s natural “feel good hormone” which reduces stress levels and lowers the risk of depression. Interestingly, a recent German study revealed that in the treatment of mild to moderate depression, 30 minutes of exercise a day can be more effective than anti-depressant drugs. Plus, just because it’s December and it happens to be the end of the year, Christmas time, New Year’s etc doesn’t mean you give up. Just think December to January is the same as May to June or August to September. Take some time to relax and reflect of course but keep moving!

Are you getting these benefits of exercise?

• Healthier and stronger bones, improved stamina combined with high levels of muscle strength and flexibility.
• Improved circulation and increased release of adrenaline to boost your energy and help you get more out of every day
• Increased metabolism allowing you burn fat throughout the day, long after you’ve stopped exercising
• Improved insulin resistance which lowers your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease
• You feel a sense of pride, achievement and it also means you enjoy that sweet or savoury treat without guilt so you REALLY enjoy it. It’s about balance. I love finding new ways to move while on holiday.

So, what do I do when I’m on holiday? 

• I take a skipping rope. It reminds me of being a kid! I enjoy taking 100 skips without stopping and if I stop I start again. It gets the heart rate up and doesn’t take much space or time. Each day, increase increments and do 100 more if you can. Create a challenge and a reward for doing it. For example, allow yourself to buy that new gadget as a reward for achieving your goal.

• Another idea is to create a challenge with a friend to see who can last longest. Remember the jump rope for heart competitions at school? They were so much fun

• I take my very small therabands with me so I can do resistance and Pilates while away. You can find these at MNW if you would like a pair they are only $15

• Run and walk or ride– explore somewhere new and get exercise at the same time.

• I take my yoga mat. I feel I have brought it all this way, I may as well use it. You can stretch, do yoga, ab and leg work, meditate, relax, do Pilates, you name it and if you have no idea what you are doing get on your phone and YouTube some videos. All of these are very low cost if not free!

• Kick a ball around or play backyard cricket. What did you love doing as a kid? Do that!

• Take up a new activity this holiday, like dancing or martial arts or something else that requires movement. Get out of your comfort zone! Remember, fear is simply thinking that we will have a future loss without a gain. There is always a gain in trying something new – meeting new friends, picking up a new skill or simply exercising!

Although it’s easy to overlook your health in the midst of the festive season, and it may seem tempting at times, but don’t skip exercise, taking your supplements or recommendations from your practitioners and finally, eat right. Inactivity will not only lower your metabolism & make it even easier to put on weight, it may also lead to muscle stiffness and pain. Not only that, why go 10 steps backwards after your year of hard work? Look back with pride and a sense of achievement and knowing you enjoyed your Christmas and New Year without regrets.

Make sure you have fun and reward yourself on reaching your goals!

5. Reflect and Set!

This is my favourite secret!

What do I do each December and in fact every 90 days? Read my mission statement and adjust it according to my growth. In fact, I review and edit my mission statement weekly!

Don’t have a mission statement? I can help you with that J We are all here for a reason, a purpose. If you don’t know what that is or have never sat down and figured that out and written what you value and your goals, I’m developed a simple and fun process to help you do this in with the MMMM Program.

Clients also love our ‘MMMM’ Program I designed this based on what clients were coming In to see us for and what I do at the beginning of each year. The program has four main components:

Movement:

Get physically and mentally fit at our studio, participating in our top-of-the-line Pilates, yoga and meditation classes.

Meals:

Our team of experts are pro’s at designing easy to follow eating plans are that healthy and most importantly realistic and designed specifically to your needs.

Mindset:

Mindful or mind-full? A 1:1 session with your wellness coach to find out what your sabotages are and how turn them into strengths. And, we set your 2016 goals together too!

Mojo:

Find out what your purpose is. What you really value and your mission in life. During this session you get insight into areas of your dimensions of wellness you want to focus on and receive practical tools to use straight away to be the best version of yourself.

In these sessions we also do a reflection exercise. We look at the past year and think of all the things you have done well and achieved.

Personally, when I do this, I think of all the things I could have done better and write them all down. I take a look at my mission statement and goals I set the year before and at each 90 day interval I write down what I achieved, what is still relevant and what’s not relevant anymore. I look at what I could have done to achieve the goal I didn’t achieve and why I didn’t achieve it. Is it still a goal or does it need to be abandoned?

I think how far I have come this year and be grateful for all of it. As the downs, or negatives, are really the places where you learn the most and they are there to drive you forward. You can’t have a down without an up, so I know when I hit that wall, get really uncomfortable, I am about to achieve something amazing!

I categorise things into three areas.

Action

Assign

Abandon        

(This includes emails!)

I also think about…. is what I am doing, thinking, feeling, getting me closer to my goals? Is this the highest priority and part of my values or is it low priority bullshit? This is my favourite area to help people with. I live to help people find their purpose, their mission, set their goals and achieve them. This is what I am here for.

My mission is simple:

‘To be the inspiration for you to be the inspiration for yourself. My goal is to help you reach yours.

6. Rest well!

The value of quality sleep is often underestimated. It is important to remember that poor sleep will not only negatively impact your activities of daily living but also your overall health and wellbeing. It is not an additional or optional component of life, it’s a vital biological function designed to maintain physical and emotional wellness.

How do I sleep?

My rules are:

1. I take a bath before bed or get a relaxing massage, even if it’s massaging my own feet or temples.
2. I do a few little stretches before bed.
3. Use an aromatherapy pillow spray – I love this. It has a faint smell and relaxes me.
4. Meditation
5. Massage treatments or Cranio-sacral therapy, a gentle hands-on form of treatment helps me sleep easier too.
6. I take a supplement called Neurocalm or Calm X 60 minutes before bed so my nervous system relaxes and enables me to drift off and stay asleep.
7. I sleep in a dark room and use an eye pillow if it’s not dark …and I mean REALLY dark.
8. No music, no noise except the sound of my breathing.
9. I use ear plugs if noisy.
10. I make sure no gadgets in the room are charging and don’t have a TV in my bedroom.
11. I turn everything off à phone, computer or any other electronics at least 30-60 minutes before bed and read instead.
12. No mirrors in the room where I am sleeping, if so, covered up

7. Make your appointments – use your private health insurance before it runs out 31st December

I know time gets away from me if I am not organised. If I don’t take the time to make space for my wellness routine, chaos occurs and before I know it I am back at work, feeling stressed and disappointed for not accomplishing my wellness goals over the holidays. To make sure this doesn’t happen, I book in to see my practitioners and instructors before I go on holidays and book in for the week I am back. I don’t want to undo all the good work I have done already and have to work harder to get back on track! Be cautious of timing getting away from you – we’ve all been there. Have you ever said, when I have a new partner, I’ll…. When I’m less busy at work I’ll… when I have time I’ll… I’m too busy to think about that now… I’m going to do it when….

Next thing you know, its mid-year and you don’t have anything done. What do you want to look back on in June next year and say you accomplished?

Personally, I want to look back in December next year and think wow, I was really organised. My goals for 2016 have been achieved and I am ready to plan the year ahead again.

Remember, you don’t get time back,

Are you open to making this year your best yet?

 



Jodie Coall | Personal & Corporate Wellness Coach

Business Coach

Melbourne Natural Wellness

Level 4, 178 Collins St Melbourne VIC 3000